I think the common thought of a PMD paired with a shutdown D is the way to go. It's not, IMO. pairings are developed with chemistry. With these thoughts an explosive D > solid shutdown D. The explosiveness draws attention, which is a system that relies on constant attack. A shutdown D has no place in this type of system.

Edler > Garrison
Gardiner > Schenn/Gunnarson etc

Correct me if i'm wrong, but you're expanding on my post? I think you agree with me, but not my assessment of Gardiner. Whether or not Gardiner could find his way onto the "top 4", doesn't matter. My point is, a player as potentially explosive as Gardiner is available, he needs to find his way onto your team, team needs aside. If you think the canucks are worse with Gardiner over garrison, you may be right. But I'd rather have Gardiner.

You don't trade a guy like Garrison right after signing him. That's just a terrible way to run an organization and is what leads to future UFAs wanting more money and not wanting to sign with such organizations.

Garrison is a local boy. He took less than offered elsewhere to sign with Vancouver (given that Gillis insists now that all dmen sign within the framework of their current team, hence Hamhuis signs for $4.5mill/yr - less than offered by Pittsburgh or Philly, Bieksa signs for $4.6mill to forego FA, Edler signs for $5mill/yr to forego FA, etc).

Garrison signed with Vancouver with a NTC because he wanted to be a Canuck. Do you then turn around and flip him in a trade? This is the video game mentality that people don't think about enough here. You do this to any FA, what are the chances that the next UFA you want here is going to take less money than offered elsewhere to sign here?

Trading Garrison is just not an option for this franchise right now.

And therefore acquiring Gardiner would not force Garrison out. It would force Ballard out.

And the other area where I disagreed with your post is our team make up should such a move happen. We are not a better team with Gardiner next to Edler *right now* than we are with Garrison, who's better defensively, and that's exactly what Edler needed.

Not to mention that Garrison gives us another strong PK presence and another option for a shutdown defender that we can match against top lines. This team - a top end PP team, and a top-end offensive team, needs those options much more than another PMD right now, regardless of how good he could be one day. This team's window is now, not one day when Gardiner may improve enough to be a valuable top-4 guy on a top contending team.